Successfully implements first phase of TROPOS ERP solution

Two sites intergrated into one stock, warehousing and distribution system

Intro:
Phase one of the SSI TROPOS implementation has enhanced stock control at Glisten Confectionary. The first stage has achieved its goals of creating an intrastructure and the basic elements of the system, and Glisten is starting to see improvements in different areas of its supply chain and a clear path forward towards implementing significant enhancements to its operation. Stock level inaccuracies have been reduced, and the ammount of resources spent on stock administration has also begun to fall - if there is an anomaly at one location, a member of the team in another can easily correct it. Before, Glisten would need dedicated support staff in place at all sites.

Background
The business that is now Glisten Confectionery is a market leading UK manufacturer of chocolate and sugar based confectionery, jellies, gums, boiled sweets and toffees. Its products range from chocolate coated raisins and nuts, mint imperials, popcorn, mini-eggs and sugar coated almonds to seasonal items such as milk chocolate reindeer noses, and chocolate snowballs from its Blackburn site and jellies gums, boiled sweets and toffees from its site in Skegness. It also manufactures ingredient oriented products for other manufacturers to use.

Founded in Blackburn in 1932 to produce edible decorations, the company has since specialised in confectionery production for a wide range of customers. Glisten Confectionery provides a variety of products for high street retailers, major food manufacturers, the food service sector, as well as foreign export markets.

The Business Challenge
Glisten’s confectionery production, following the acquisition of F. Fravigar Limited, is spread across two sites on opposite sides of the country, with chocolate and sugar-based food produced in Blackburn, and boiled sweets, toffees, and jellies in Skegness. In the absence of an effective information management system, manufacturing and customer service was difficult to co-ordinate between the factories and as a result Glisten started to encounter a variety of supply chain issues.

Stock level inaccuracies were becoming increasingly common as Glisten’s production rate increased – a consequence of expanding its production lines and utilising a third-party warehouse in the production process. Glisten wanted to maximise the profitability of its supply chain, whilst the customer demand was increasing for its products that were being manufactured. With the customer base increasing, it needed to implement an ERP system that would enhance its customer service, stock control and staff productivity.

The Solution
In 2005, Glisten selected the TROPOS system from SSI. SSI’s highly flexible ERP solution was perfect for Glisten, which identified TROPOS’s ability to interpret its data and deliver accurate information for its business planning as a key factor behind the decision to implement it.

Mark Adcock, Financial Director of Glisten Confectionery: “"We were looking for a solution that would enable us to manage both production sites more efficiently and moreover Glisten Confectionery as one business.  We now have full visibility and control of sales, purchasing and stock within one system. SSI has a strong reputation in the food sector, and we are so far very happy with the completion of phase one. We look forward to pushing on with the next stage, where we expect to see significant business benefits.”

“SSI’s approach meant that we were in control from the start. It made sure that we could purchase the exact ERP solution based on our business needs, rather than simply rolling out a blanket solution that doesn’t take our situation into account. SSI is clearly a company that continues to learn from what its customers are saying to it.”

The Results
Since implementing the first phase of the system, Glisten Confectionery has already begun to see gains in three major areas: customer service, stock control and staff productivity.

Mark Adcock commented: “The system has been rolled out to both production sites, as well a third-party warehouse that is involved in the supply chain. We are already beginning to see the positive effects, even though we only went live with the system a few months ago. Because staff from anywhere in the company have complete stock visibility at all times, data can be accessed, added or amended at any point in the supply chain.”

“What we have seen so far has provided the foundations for the benefits phase two will provide. We now have a platform from which we can launch new improvements that will enhance the entire operation. Phase two will enable us to ship more products on time, with accurate documentation, and with full control over inventory reservations and back orders. As a direct consequence of this, we will be able to significantly enhance our service through the improvement of order visibility and manageability.”

“Because stock status and location is electronically organised, it will impact on the level of resources we spend on administration – if there is an anomaly at Skegness, a member of the Blackburn team can easily deal with it, whereas before we needed staff in place at both sites” Mark Adcock added.

The Future
With phase one of the implementation already completed, Glisten Confectionery has arranged for SSI to proceed with phase two in 2007. This will involve the planning, MRP and production elements of the TROPOS solution, and enable Glisten to balance demand against available capacity to arrive at plant and production line schedules that are cost-effective and in line with Glisten’s ambitions. The TROPOS scheduling module will produce work-to-lists by week, day, shift, hour or even down to the nearest minute, to ensure Glisten can construct an accurate business model that assists in maximising the profitability of the business.

“Phase two is where we should start to see the biggest benefits come into effect,” added Mark Adcock. “We have been very pleased with what SSI has done so far, and hope that the implementation of the second phase runs as smoothly as the first. We’re aiming to gain better management of sales and stock levels so we can operate more efficiently. If we can achieve this, there will be significant enhancements to Glisten’s supply chain operations.”

About SSI
SSI is a Chelford Group company. It specialises in the implementation and lifecycle support of web-optimised manufacturing and supply chain solutions for highly regulated process industries and 'lean' discrete manufacturers.

SSI offers end-to-end supply chain solutions including inventory optimisation, advanced planning, data collection systems and business intelligence solutions.

To complement its application solutions, SSI provides all the services required for lifecycle support with a single point of responsibility: project management, application implementation support, hosted application services, hosted web collaboration, remote managed services, bespoke systems development, systems integration, web development and technical consultancy.

Since 1982, SSI has been providing competitive advantage to a client base operating in the mid market, from small companies to subsidiaries of multinationals and large independent companies: Adams Pork Products, Uniq, Inter Link Foods,, Morrison Bowmore, Fox's Confectionery, Allergy Therapeutics, Alba Bioscience, Shell, Rangemaster, Saxbys, Brintons Carpets Tullis Russell, Turtle Wax and CWV (formerly Vymura). Recent wins include Naturally Best, Dairy Farmers of Britain and Almac Sciences.

SSI is part of the AIM-quoted Chelford Group (CHR).